Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem paid a quick visit to Bradenton on Monday morning, Oct. 20, as part of her ongoing national tour to sell President Donald Trump’s deportation efforts to the public.
A Herald-Tribune reporter was barred from the event by federal law enforcement when they arrived at 10 a.m. The event was scheduled to begin at 10:30 a.m. An unidentified, suited man said it would take too long for the reporter to go through the security screening process. When asked if the process would take over half an hour, he said the decision was made by the U.S. Secret Service.
Why was a Sarasota Herald-Tribune reporter barred from the event?
A statement from DHS officials on Sunday announced that the press conference would take place in Sarasota at 10:30 a.m. at an undisclosed location, with the media asked to arrive at 8:40 a.m.
Officials then did not give a location until 8:40 a.m. the following morning and changed the venue to Bradenton.
Herald-Tribune photo editor Mike Lang was allowed into the press conference and said his security screening took about two minutes. Noem arrived around 10:28 a.m.
Why was Kristi Noem in Bradenton?
Noem has spent much of her time running Homeland Security as the Trump Administration’s chief spokesperson on deportation. The former governor of South Dakota has visited cities in the president’s crosshairs – such as Chicago and Portland – but said she was visiting to bring attention to efforts by local law enforcements across the country.
The Homeland Security Secretary repeatedly misidentified herself as being in Sarasota, however. The press conference was at a building near the Manatee County Sheriff’s office in Bradenton.
“I’m in Sarasota today because people don’t get to hear the media cover these individuals that have been removed off the streets, the good work that law enforcement officers have already done,” Noem said.
She claimed that of the 480,000 arrests of illegal immigrants DHS says it has carried out since Trump’s inauguration, 70% of those “have criminal charges against them or have been convicted of those criminal charges.”
By those numbers, 144,000 immigrants arrested by DHS had no prior criminal record. When asked what she would say to undocumented immigrants who have not committed any crimes in the United States, and who may be fearful of going outside, Noem suggested they could self-deport.
“I think they should be in this country legally. They’ll have no fear whatsoever if they’re in this country abiding by our laws,” Noem said.
Noem also claimed during her visit that DHS received 175,000 applications from those aspiring to be ICE agents. She lauded local and state authorities, such as the Florida Highway Patrol, for their collaboration with her department.
“We would love to have local law enforcement across the country participating with us. Many times, that’s not true. Here in Sarasota, it’s been fantastic. Here in Florida, it’s been amazing,” Noem said.
Herald-Tribune Photo Editor Mike Lang contributed to this story. Christian Casale covers local government for the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Email him at ccasale@gannett.com or christiancasale@protonmail.com. Follow the Herald-Tribune on Instagram.
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Kristi Noem suggests undocumented immigrants self-deport during Bradenton visit
Reporting by Christian Casale, Sarasota Herald-Tribune / Sarasota Herald-Tribune
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